The Blog of Virgil Bawits about happiness, mindfulness, meditation, balance, awareness and everything counsciousness

The importance of becoming noble leaders of ourselves

Nobly Leading the Way is part of the title of a blog by Gerald Young, Ph.D., professor of psychology at York University. In the article on Psychology Today he says: "The extent to which we lead ourselves and act nobly in our effort to get on the right path and to stay on it is ours to determine. Feeling good about ourselves is not caused by external factors alone but also by an internal mindset. The internal mindset that brings hope springs from wanting to lead ourselves to better options. For example, by forever striving to keep growing no matter what the circumstance, we could grow through the worst of anything that we have to face and emerge the better for it. What he tries to tell us, is that there is hope for everyone and that improvement is possible. Whatever starting point you have. Or as a reader eloquently points out: " For some, it is a victory to get out of bed; for some it is a victory not to act on your rage, to not harm others; for some it is a victory to attend high school.....

So here's the proof: practicing mindfulness can increase quality of life

Participating in an 8-week mindfulness meditation program appears to make measurable changes in brain regions associated with memory, sense of self, empathy and stress. In a study that will appear in the January 30 issue of Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, a team led by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers report the results of their study, the first to document meditation-produced changes over time in the brain's grey matter. "It is fascinating to see the brain's plasticity and that, by practicing meditation, we can play an active role in changing the brain and can increase our well-being and quality of life." says Britta Hölzel, PhD, first author of the paper and a research fellow at MGH and Giessen University in Germany. Want more proof. It's all here.